Ryerson’s part-time lecturers will vote on a new four-year contract offering higher pay and improvements to health benefits and leaves. Voting begins in two weeks and will extend contracts until 2021, according to an email sent to members today.

“I think it was a reasonably good deal for members of the union, and I hope they feel that way— and I hope they ratify it,” Union president Joseph Zboralski said. A document summarizing the agreement was sent to Unit 1 of the union yesterday.

The new deal was negotiated on behalf of contract lecturers, one of three units that make up CUPE 3094, which says it represents 2,500 instructors. Continuing education contract lecturers comprise Unit 2 and teaching and graduate assistants make up Unit 3.

“The unit 3 negotiations have already started. Once those are done we go on to unit 2,” he said. Each unit will vote separately for their contract. According to past precedent, “whatever wage settlement is in the first contract, there’s a consistency afterwards.”

“We’re happy they’re finished and I think both sides were committed to getting a deal done and at the end of the day, we got an agreement.”

Contracts are different from unit to unit but according to past precedent “whatever wage settlement is in the first contract there’s a consistency afterwards,” Zboralski said. Each unit will vote separately for their contract.

According to the document, contract instructors would receive salary increases of 1.75 per cent in each of the first two years of the contract and two per cent in each of the last two years of the contract. The top 70 instructors – based on seniority – will be offered four-year contracts, it states.

The agreement offers improved health benefits and increased professional development funds.

The new contract would extend from August 2017 to August 2021.

The university resumed negotiations with the union last week after CUPE members voted 91 per cent in favour of a strike mandate.